Furnace for the treatment of metals.



W. SGHEMMANN & J. BRO-NN. FURNACE FOR. THE TREATMENT OF METALS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1907. I

915,488, Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

I] I I v I WITNEESES Ly F Tm a? WILHELM SOHEMMA'NN A-NDJEG'OR BRO'NN, OF ROMBAOH, GERMANY.

remade ROB 'rrm. 'rnna'rnnn'r or warm;

Speciflcationot Letters-Patent.

Patented March. 1e, ieoe.

' Application filed October 19, Serial n. 396,204.

To all whom it may. concern:

Be it known that we, WILHELM Sonnmf MANN, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing. at 14 Hi'ittenstrasse, Rombach, Germany, and Jason. BRONN,

engineer, a subject of the RussianEmpero r,

reslding at 10a Vorstadtstrasse, Rombaich, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces for. the 'lheatment of Metals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable. otherslskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

A certain qluantity of manganese is contained in near y all malleable lron and steel. The greater art of the manganese is introduced into t e liquid metal by the addition of ferromanganese which is an alloy of iron containing manganese in varying. quantity up to 83% the addition .taking place. during treatment whether in a converter. or. by: SiemensrMartins, Talbot or electric process.

This addition offerromanganese is effected that: the quality of product: is. liable into the liquid lost. in the molten metal is'not uniform andmoreby throwing large pieces of ferromanganese metal immediately before pouring or tap ing. This methodof workmg has severa drawbacks as forv instance when .thrown in a considerable portion. of ferroman anese is retained by the tough layer of s a on the molten metal and is thus Further the distribution of. manganese over the temperature of the metal'bath is considerably reduced by the addition of the ferromanganese in solid forrnwith the resiilt to e affected. It has now been found. that. all

these drawbacks disap'pearif the ferromananese melted separatelyand added in a iquid state to the liquid iron. The ordinary pola orlike furnaces are however unsuite for use inthe. melting of ferromanganese is thereby burned and converted'into slag. Electric arc furnaces of ordinary type are, also unsuitable owing to ease and rapidity withwhich volatilization of the manganese takes place therein'. As most metallurgical works mainly employ three-phase current it appears suitable to work the melting furnace also with three phase current, in order to avoid the expensive conversion of the three phase current. into two phase or a sin le hase alternating. current.

n,t e: accompanying, drawings, Figure 1 Juid ferromanganese already there.

is a horizontal section, Fig. 2 is a. vertical longitudinal section, Figs. 3 and 4 show cross sections of, the furnace on the lines A-B and C'-D respectively.-

The furnace is made ,offire-proof material 1 providedwith three long grooves 2, 3, 4;

which at one end lead into'a common cross conduit 5-, ,the other ends of the groovester-f minating with electrodes 6,.7, 8 made of steel plates, carbon blocks or the like, disposed in accordance with the three phase current employed. The furnace :is rov-ided with a tapping hole 9. Above t e three grooves or conduits is. arranged afcover 10 slightl arched in order to reduce the radiation 0 heat. It is, moreover, advisable to provide an auxiliary furnace- 11 orlto keep the arch 10 hot by means of electricit The charging is effected with smal pieces of ferromanganese through the charging openings 12. The whole furnace rests on a spindle 13, so that it.can be easily 'tippedgforward by means of suitable mechanism 14.

ItJis' advisable. to give the'fugrnaceja ca- "acityof from fiveto ten times'the quantity that has to be drawn ofiat each tapping. When manganese is to be added to a charge of metal the furnace is slightl tipped,and the desired quantity of liqui ferromanganese taken out through the tap hole. Thereupon a correspondingquantity of solid ferromanganese is thrown into the conduitswhere it quickly melts in the large quantity of liqhe furnace is kept constantly, working, and even during tapping the current is not cut off,

whereby the consumption of-currentis rendered very uniform, and complicated switch instruments become unnecessary. Moreover, owing to the avoidance of interruption of current, the available source of energy is better utilized.

Incidentally this said furnace may also be utilized-for smelting and refining other metals.

If the treatment of iron is carried on in the manner hereinbefore described b the addi: tion of ferroman anese in a li ui state then a. very uniform I istribution o manganese is insured in the cast steel. Moreover, it has been found that by working according to this process, a much smaller roportion of manganese is sufficient in or er to produce malleable iron and steelv suitable for further.

ing ferromanganese in solid form re uired at least 0.4% manganese, can bev easi y rolled even if the. steel contains only 0.29% manganese provided the ferromanganesehas been added in liquid form. A saving in manganese is therefore obtained for two reasons: In the first place there is no loss owing ,to the formation of slag, and. secondly the proportion of manganese in steel can be decreased Without risk of reducing the quality of the steel. If, for. instance, a converter charge of tons of metal is to befinished by the addition of ferromanganese insolid form taking into consideration that 2.5% of the mangathen for manufact'urin it is sufficient to have 15000 kg. of

manganese or 56 kg. of ferromanganese.

If the total consumption of ferromanganose in a steel foundry s considered the saving effected on a large number of charges Will be still reater for the following reasons. It is well own that ferromanganese of high percentage cannot be stored as the richer it is in manganese, the quicker it is decomposed by t e action of the moisture of the air into owder. As the latter is kept back by the s agcover when being thrown into the metal bath, it could not up tonow be used at all and formed an inconvenient and expensive waste. If the ferromanganese isliquefied first in the manner hereinbefore described, even the powdered ferromanganese can be melted so that also in this respect the process according to this invention is advanta-' geous in view of the necessity 'of having arge stores of ferromanganese which cannot be avoided where manufacture is carriedona large scale. I

'I-Iavin now particularly described and ascertaine the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that What we claim is 2-- 1. In a furnace for the treatment of metals, the combination of three grooves formed in the hearth of the furnace for the reception of the metal, a cross-conduit connecting thesegrooves at one end, an electrode entering the other end of each groove, a source of electric -p power connected to the electrodes means for chargin the metal into the grooves and means or drawing off the molten metal as set forth. u j

2. In a furnace for the treatment of metals, the'combination of three grooves formed in the hearth of the furnace for the reception of.

erases the metal, a cross-conduit entering these grooves at one end, an electrode enterin the other end of each groove, a generator of t as phase electric current connected to the electrodes, a cover for the furnace, a charging opening and ata pin hole as set forth.

3. In a furnace or t e treatment of metals, the combination of three grooves formed in k the hearth of the furnace for the reception of the metal, a cross conduit entering these grooves at one end, an electrode entering the other end of each groove, a generator .of three phase electric current connected to the electrodes, a cover for the furnace, means for applying heat to this cover, a charging opening,-an'd a-ta ping hole as set forth.

4. In a furnace or thetreatment of metals, the combination of three grooves formed in the hearth of the furnace for the reception of the met'al,'a cross-conduit connecting these grooves at one end, anelectrode entering the other end of each groove, a source of electric ower connected to the electrodes, a cover or the furnace,"a charging opening, a.tapping hole, 'a pivotal mountin for the furna'ce and means for tipping the furnace as set forth.

5; In a furnace for the treatment of metals, the combinationpf three grooves formed in the hearth of the furnace for the reception of the metal, a cross-conduit connectin these grooves at one end, an electrode entering the other end of each groove, a generator of three phase electric current connected to the elec trodes, an arched cover for' the furnace, means for applying heat to this cover, a charging o emn'g, a tapping hole, aivotal mounting or the furnace and means or tip ping the furnace as set forth.

6. In a furnace for the treatment of metals, the combination of a tilting hearth, a genen I ator of three phase electric current, electrodes connected to this generator and dis posed in the hearth, receptacles formed in being so disposed between the points of entry of the electrodes that the metal in the receptacles will constitute a resistance between the electrodes, means for chargin the metal off the molten metal as set forth.

7. In a furnaceforthe treatment of metals, the combination of a hearth, a generator of three hase' electric current, electrodes conappl g heat to this cover means for charg- ,1 ing; th d metal into the furnace and means for the'hearth for the metaLthese receptacles 0 into these receptacles and means or drawing 1'15.

necte to this generator and disposed in the 120.; hearth, receptacles formed infthe hearth for the metal, these receptacles being .so dis-1 5" osed between the points ofentry of they- I electrodes that'the metal in the receptacles .willconstitute a-resistance between the eleC- T; trodes, acover for thefurnace, means for].

drawing off the molten metal as SGtIOIthiff l -51 8. In a furnace for the treatment of metals,

. the combination of a heerth,-a generator of drawing fi 'the molten metal, .a, ivotal "three hase electric current, electrodes con- -"mounting for the furnace'and means or tipnecte to this generator and disposed in the ping the furnace as set forth. hearth,receptecles formed in the hearth for In -testiln'ony, that we'claim the foregoing .5 the metal, I these recepta cles being so dis-- as our invention, we heve signed 0111 names posed between the pqintsof'entry of the in preseneeof two-subscribin witnesses. "electrodes that the metal in the-receptacles 'WILHELM SO EMMANN constitute a resistance between the elec- I JEGO R BRON N v trodes a covel for the furnace, means for ,Witnesses: v 10 applying heat to this cover, means for chargj LOUIS VANDQRY,

mg the metal into the furnace. meansfqr T DEPNER. 

